freedom of expression news stories on Newser

School Caves, Lets Gay Kid Wear Banned T-Shirt for Day

Polly Davis Doig — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:26:05 CDT

Maverick Couch fought the man, and the man caved: The 16-year-old gay student, who sued his Ohio school for the right to wear a T-shirt emblazoned with "Jesus Is Not a Homophobe," will be allowed to wear it for a day. But it's a big day: The annual April 20...

Pennsylvania Cops Now Let You Swear All You Want

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 09:43:58 CST

Say it with me, foul-mouthed Pennsylvanians: Hot damn! It is officially no longer a crime to utter choice four-letter words in the presence of state police. They've agreed to stop citing the public for cursing as part of a settlement yesterday of a federal free-speech lawsuit. That suit stems from...

Billboard Links Obama to Jihad

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:42:47 CST

A billboard showing President Obama wearing a turban has sparked a lot of attention at the suburban Denver car dealership that put it up. The sign shows a cartoonish Obama and bears the words "PRESIDENT or JIHAD?" Underneath Obama's image is the phrase, "BIRTH CERTIFICATE, PROVE IT!" The words "WAKE...

Quietly, Censorship Takes Hold in Iraq

Jason Farago — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:14:01 CDT

When Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003, his draconian censorship laws fell with him, and Iraq was flooded with American news, Egyptian soap operas, and Turkish music videos—not to mention pornography and jihadist videos. But now, reports the New York Times , censorship is quietly making a comeback in Iraq,...

Anti-Porn Curbs Mask Chinese Crackdown on Dissent

Jason Farago — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:39:36 CDT

The Chinese government ramped up restrictions on Internet use yesterday, sharply curtailing access to medical research on sexual health. It's the latest escalation in what Beijing calls an anti-pornography campaign that will culminate in new filtering software, called the Green Dam, that will be installed on all new computers from...

Armenia Attacks Protesters

Kevin Spak — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:30:00 CST

Armenian cops fired on a crowd of protesters today and killed at least one as the country declared emergency rule, Reuters reports. Protests have raged daily since a Feb. 19 presidential election that opponents say was rigged for ex-premier Serzh Sarksyan. Police are holding opposition hopeful Levon Ter-Petrosian under house...

Dutch Brace for Terror Before Koran Shredding

Wesley Oliver — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 05:02:10 CST

The Dutch government expects violent protests in response to an anti-Muslim film—said to include images of the Koran being shredded—that a right-wing lawmaker has vowed to make public this month. Geert Wilders, one of nine members of an extremist party in the Dutch lower house, aims to expose...

Thailand Axes Anti-Monarchy Website

Matt Cantor — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:32:20 CST

A Thai ministry has shut down a website critical of the country's monarchy, the AP reports. Postings on Sameskybooks.com questioned news accounts that all citizens mourned the king's sister, who died Wednesday, and criticized officials. "I think we're one of the few sites posting remarks against the monarchy," Thanapol...

Saudis Holding Blogger Critical of Government

Nick McMaster — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:50:00 CST

The Saudi Arabian government has confirmed that it is holding a prominent blogger for questioning, the New York Times reports today. Fouad al-Farhan, who discussed social issues as one of the few Saudis to blog in Arabic under his real name, was arrested Dec. 10 to be interrogated about “specific...